Electronic devices such as smart phones include antenna(s) for wireless communication with other electronic devices.
For example, an electronic device may include a variety of antennas such as mobile communication antennas, digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) antennas, Bluetooth antennas, global positioning system (GPS) antennas, magnetic secure transmission (MST) antennas, and/or near field communication (NFC) antennas.
Further, the housing of the electronic device may include a conductive portion (e.g. a portion of the housing may be metal or another conductive material). The metal housing may protect internal components of the electronic device and also be made to have an aesthetically pleasing exterior. In addition, at least a portion of the metal housing may be utilized as an antenna for the electronic device.
In one example, in the housing of the electronic device, a side frame surrounding a display housed in the housing may be made of metal and may be used as an antenna. An upper portion of the side frame may be used as the antenna. In that case, the radiation pattern of the antenna may be concentrated on the uppermost portion of the electronic device.
However, when the electronic device uses the upper portion of the side frame as the antenna, the performance of the antenna may not be optimal. This is because the radiation efficiency of such an antenna may not be ideal. For example, when the antenna is a NFC antenna, due to poor antenna performance, NFC communication with a NFC tag may be spotty.